Group 05 - Mobile Messaging (Complete Friday, February 12)
Introduction Mobile phones have virtually changed the communication platforms of communications in our society today. Through mobile messaging such as the use of SMS text messages, social media, and other mobile messaging systems, the world of mobile messaging will never be the same and will continue to grow throughout the ages. '' '''A Brief History of Text Messaging' A brief history of mobile messaging is key in understanding the mobile messaging phenomenon that has grown into the communication platform that it is today. The concept of SMS text messaging started with a man named Friedheim Hillebrand and his friend Bernard Ghillebaert in 1984, The first text was sent from a former developer named Neil Papworth in 1992, however mobile phones did not have keyboards at the time. Because of this, Papworth had to type the message on a PC. The first text was “Merry Christmas” and was sent to a man named Richard Jarvis at Vodafone corporation. '' ''The first manufacturer that made the handset used for the first text message was from Nokia, and they became the first provider with a full keyboard, the Nokia 9000i Communicator. The SMS concept was slow to grow, but grew to be about 35 texts per average user a month in 2000. T9, a concept for predicting the words users were about to text before they text them, became a reality in the 1990’s. As the keyboard and features of SMS texts grew, IBM Simon came out with the first touchscreen mobile device in 1992. This was referred to as the first smartphone. '' ''2007 was a landmark year, as it showed that SMS texts had surpassed phone calls per month that Americans sent. The future of texting looked bright, and continued to grow. A more visual chart of the SMS history and growth can be seen below: Messaging History * Dec 3, 1992: The first text message * 1993: Mobile phones get SMS * 1995: T9 debuts * 1997: Enter QWERTY * 1999: Worlds collide * '' 2000: Text messaging takes off'' * 2002: Text messaging really explodes * July 2006: Enter Twitter * 2007: Texting surpasses calling Source: Erickson, Christine. "A Brief History of Text Messaging." Mashable. n.d. Web. 12 February 2016. Mobile Messaging Today The history behind mobile messaging paved the way to where it has come today. Mobile messaging, like stated above, has grown to be a huge marketing platform, and with the help of social media, the world of texting will never be the same. Mobile messaging apps are used by more than 1.4 billion customers. This means that not only do phone providers service individual SMS text services, but so do social media apps and other messaging services outside specific phone providers. Worldwide, about 75% of mobile users use OTT mobile messaging app in 2015.Top mobile messaging apps include WeChat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Snapchat. All of these services provide texting abilities. They have evolved the communications process into a new and more convenient form of talking to one another. Forums for sharing opinions, payments, and mcommerce have held a hand in why mobile messaging apps are succeeding so rapidly. WeChat is the leading social media messaging “powerhouse” with “the most diverse and advanced methods for making money” (eMarketer). Source: "Mobile Messaging to Reach 1.4 Worldwide in 2015." eMarketer. ''11 November 2015. Web. 12 Feb 2016. '''New Mobile Messaging Technology ' Messaging apps like WhatsApp, Kik or iMessage allow mobile users to message one another without using up SMS data, which is required when exchanging traditional text messages. Some of these messaging apps, such as iMessage, maintain conversations even if a user switches between devices, such as a tablet, laptop or desktop computer, or cell phone. Demographic Messaging apps are especially popular among young adults. Among smartphone owners ages 18 to 29, 49% use messaging apps.However, these apps are relatively popular with older smartphone owners as well: 37% of smartphone owners age 30 to 49 and 24% of those ages 50 and older use mobile messaging apps. Ephemeral Messaging ' In addition, 14% of online adults — and 17% of smartphone owners — use apps that automatically delete the messages they send, such as Snapchat or Wickr. These short-lived messaging apps hold particular appeal to younger smartphone owners. Snapchat launched Chat in 2014, which offered users to save messages by tapping the message before clearing the chat. Click Here to Learn How Snapchat's Chat Works '''Social Media and Mobile Messaging ' Also, Snapchat offers messaging services that doubles as social media. App features like “Share to My Story,” allows the user’s app contacts to view pictures or videos shared by the user. Other social media sites double offer messaging services as well. Social media sites like Twitter and Instagram (owned by Facebook) allow for direct messaging that notifies users when he or she has received and read the message. The most popular social media site that also offers instant messaging is Facebook. Source: Duggan, Maeve. "Mobile Messaging and Social Media 2015." Pew Research Center Internet Science Tech RSS. N.p., 19 Aug. 2015. Web. 12 Feb. 2016. '''Mobile Messaging Apps on the Rise For millennials and marketers, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are the go-to apps for messaging services. There is a growth in market for mobile messaging apps, which has brought a new crop of companies into the game. Kik, Line, WeChat and Viber are becoming more popular in the field of mobile messaging. These new apps are allowing marketers to capture the attention of millions of millennials and teens. Kik Kik uses data-based ads, which target users using such information as age, location and gender. Kik is an Ontario-based app that offers video, and it's Promoted Chat formats that let brands talk to individual users. Stats: * Launch: ''2014 * ''Global users: 240 million * Brands: MTV, K-Swiss, Twentieth Century Fox * What's ahead in 2016: Better data-based targeting and metrics Line This messaging app is popular in Japan. The app sells sponsored stickers users can send to their friends. Brands can also set up their own accounts, similar to a Facebook or Twitter page. Stats: * Launch: 2011 * Global users: ''212 million * ''Brands: Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Amazon * What's ahead in 2016: Branded emojis, sponsored chats, U.S. market WeChat This app is a mobile powerhouse in China, boasting more than 600 million monthly users who shop, play games and order takeout via their smartphones. WeChat has a small but growing ad business, with news feed-style placements that require a $30,000 minimum buy. Expect ad targeting to improve and costs to come down in the coming year, Co-founder Thomas Graziani said. Stats: * Launch: 2011 * Global users: ''600 million * ''Brands: Michael Kors, Starbucks, Infiniti * What's ahead in 2016: Cheaper ads similar to Facebook promos that home in on consumer interests Viber Viber offers instant messaging and sharing of images, videos and audio messages. We've been this company that's been known primarily as the app for making a free call or texting someone outside the country," said Scott Nelson, head of North America for Viber. "Between games, stickers and public chats, we're moving toward what we call an ecosystem of entertainment and a lifestyle portal." Similar to Line, marketers can design custom stickers and build a network of fans by setting up official accounts. Stats: * Launch: ''2012 * ''Global users: 664 million * Brands: ''Spotify, Barclays Center, Mashable * ''What's ahead in 2016: ''more branded accounts Source: Johnson, Lauren. "Here Are 4 Mobile Messaging Apps Marketers Need to Know About in 2016." ''AdWeek. N.p., 13 Dec. 2015. Web. 12 Feb. 2016. Mobile Messaging for Marketing Mobile messaging has become a new platform in which people can come together and interact. This provides a goldmine for savvy marketers who wish to expand their marketing potential. Today, messaging apps have become one of the leading contenders in the app world. Boasting high retention and engagement rates. It has become apparent that people enjoy the messaging applications. The issue is finding a way to market on this ever-evolving platform. There are two different kinds of messaging apps, the Pure-Play messaging apps and the In-house messaging apps. The difference is that the Pure-Play messaging apps are purely apps that are designed specifically for messaging. These are applications such as WhatsApp, WeChat, and Snapchat. Applications like these make up 6/10 of the most apps used around the world. As opposed to In-house chat, which are integrated messaging features into a company’s application. Both of these kinds of messaging applications have positive and negative aspects for marketers. On one side, the Pure-Play applications are already in use by the mainstream public. This makes it easier to reach audiences. However, they leave brand's limited to few marketing tools, analytics, and features to gage if their marketing tactics are working. They also leave the brand at the disposal of the third party application to keep bringing in users. As for the In-house messaging apps, these are a great way to engage and create long-standing relationships with users. On the flip side, it requires the users to download another app. This is a problem because it involves more commitment and action for the user. Companies are already integrating mobile messaging into their marketing tactics. The question is how they can do this without seeming like spam or in the way. Whether it is through Pure-Play messaging applications or In-house applications. One thing is for certain; the positives outweigh the negatives of adding it into a marketing plan. It’s all about finding a creative way to break the market. Source: Shih, Harrison. “Mobile Messaging for Marketers 101.” TechCrunch. TechCrunch, 27 Oct 2015. Web. 12 February 2016. Mobile Messaging Security A big concern with mobile messaging is often whether or not our information is secure. Many companies claim to provide the security needed to provide their clients comfort but whether or not they are as secure as they claim is often debated. Apple’s iMessage has been known to score high when it comes to security. Certain iphones have come out where Apple itself can’t unlock a phone without the owner knowing. This is unlike other apps like Kik which have very low levels of security. At the end, it comes down to if information is encrypted. In Apple’s case, this would be the case. For users who find it of vital importance to protect one’s information, they must take this piece of information into account when choosing a mobile messaging service. A good resource to use if a someone is unsure about whether or not a messaging service is secure, they can use resources such as this scorecard created by The Electronic Frontier Foundation. It determines whether or not a certain messenger encrypted or not. Source: “Secure Messaging Scorecard.” Eff. ''Eff, n.d. 12 February 2016. '''References' Shih, Harrison. “Mobile Messaging for Marketers 101.” TechCrunch. TechCrunch, 27 Oct 2015. Web. 12 February 2016. “Secure Messaging Scorecard.” Eff. ''Eff, n.d. 12 February 2016. Johnson, Lauren. "Here Are 4 Mobile Messaging Apps Marketers Need to Know About in 2016." ''AdWeek. N.p., 13 Dec. 2015. Web. 12 Feb. 2016. Erickson, Christine. "A Brief History of Text Messaging." Mashable. n.d. Web. 12 February 2016. "Mobile Messaging to Reach 1.4 Worldwide in 2015." eMarketer. ''11 November 2015. Web. 12 Feb 2016. Duggan, Maeve. "Mobile Messaging and Social Media 2015." ''Pew Research Center Internet Science Tech RSS. N.p., 19 Aug. 2015. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.